Musical group to lend 'Voices' to Fairfield County Fair

Voices of Ohio to perform Tuesday in Grandstand

Sep. 27, 2013

Voices of Ohio / Submitted photo

Written by

Jennifer LaRue

Eagle-Gazette correspondent

LANCASTER — They are members of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir all grown up, still sharing “how music can change our lives.”

The Voices of Ohio will perform “The Magic of Music,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Grandstand during the 2013 Fairfield County Fair. There is no additional charge for admission to the concert.

Malcolm Spence, vice president, general manager and co-founder of the group, promises 90 minutes of “pop, Broadway, Jersey Boys, Elvis, inspirational tunes, a salute to our military, maybe a little country and the opportunity to sing along.”

“Our mission is to share our love of music with the audience,” Spence said. “We’re not a choir or a chorale; we’re a dynamic adult performing arts ensemble.” They mostly are former All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir members who gather from all around the state to practice monthly and perform at county fairs and special events.

Co-founder and Artistic Director Girrard Stewart describes The Voices of Ohio as an adult show choir.

“There are so many great chorales around the state,” he said, noting he took the group a different direction. “Members sing a cappella and choral,” with an accompanist or original soundtracks.

Included in the membership are Ohioans who performed throughout Europe, in the White House Rose Garden and from the top of the former World Trade Center and members who became the world’s only singing, marching vocal group to participate in four Tournament of Roses parades.

Happy coincidence led to the formation of The Voices of Ohio seven years ago.

“I was music and theater director at a musical arts school in northern Ohio when I received a call from Kenny Rogers’ production team. They typically used local choirs for his ‘Christmas and Hits’ show,” Stewart said. Because there was a large Christmas festival in the area, no choirs were available. Stewart contacted his fellow youth choir members and formed the backup for Rogers.

“Later, Malcolm asked me if I would want to start a group,” Stewart said.

Within months Stewart had contacted more than 50 youth choir alumni interested in singing together again.

Although there are about 100 alumni currently involved, Spence said The Voices typically take the stage with a core group of 40 to 50.

“Our average age is 54. We come from all walks of life: police officers, nurses, insurance agents, retirees, from Ada to Ashtabula, from Xenia to Zanesville,” he said.

The Voices adds four or five new members per year, said Spence, who notes not everyone is a youth choir alumnus. “We’ll recruit from the audience and hold auditions.”

Lithopolis residents David and Mary Roe are part of the original group of Voices. Both sang and toured Europe with the youth choir.

“I can’t think of anything other than fishing that would be more fun (than singing),” said David Roe, who especially enjoys the group’s fundraising performances. He and Mary Roe are excited to sing locally.

“It’ll give some of my friends a chance to see us at the fair,” he said.

And their performance will give David Roe a chance to entertain with a solo or two.